Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The chief executive of the United States, taking issue with Iran's nuclear activities, let loose the absurd remark that if Iran forced its nuclear armament, the third world war would break out.

Urging the U.S. to prove in practice its stand against the outbreak of another world war and nuclear proliferation, if it truly stood against them, a Minju Joson analyst Tuesday says:

The U.S. calls into question the nuclear activities of "hostile countries" while keeping mum about the nuclear weaponization of its allies. A typical example is its double-dealing act of supporting Israel's nuclear weaponization.

This year the U.S. signed an agreement on cooperation in the nuclear field with a country remaining outside the NPT.

Such double-dealing nuclear policy of the U.S. has given rise to displeasure in the international community and its unfair approach to the issue of nuclear nonproliferation has laid a stumbling block in the worldwide efforts for nuclear disarmament.

The U.S. does not pursue a unitary standard and consistency in its nuclear policy. It only abuses it for its strategy to dominate the world.

Not much penetration is needed to see why it called Iran to account again for its nuclear activities, throwing together balderdash about the outbreak of the third world war. The U.S. is examining a military option as a countermeasure in case Iran's nuclear issue would not be solved as it wants. What the U.S. seeks through the spread of the rumor in the international community about Iran's nuclear weaponization and ensuing outbreak of the third world war is to use it as a pretext for a military attack on Iran. The spread of the rumor about the nightmarish third world war in the international community is also aimed to drag passive countries deeper into its intensified sanctions against Iran.

The U.S. policy in handling sensitive political issues which require responsibility in a careless manner to meet its own interests is, in fact, pushing the world into a nuclear arms race. This proves that the U.S. is a dangerous nuclear criminal bringing the era of a new nuclear arms race, the cold war which will spark off the third world war.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Israel's attorney general told the government on Monday it could not unilaterally modify its Power-for-Qassams agreement with the Gaza Strip as part of its current economic policy. The current arrangement calls on Israel to provide 10,000 kilowatt hours for every Qassam rocket fired.

Israel began implementing economic sanctions on Sunday in what it said was a response to Palestinian price-gouging and exploitation of its Qassam monopoly.

Israel's supreme court told the government to explain its planned actions against Gaza and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said the plan to reduce power to Gaza needed further scrutiny because of the possible impact on Palestinian economic development.

"The attorney general has approved the cabinet's decision to activate various economic steps ... (but) further consideration needs to be given to cutting off electricity because of the economic implications for the Palestinian Qassam industry," a Justice Ministry statement said. "After all," he continued, "Israel has the fourth-largest financial planning establishment in the world while the Palestinians have to use crude, homemade price regulation schemes."

The European Union warned Israel against imposing "unilateral price-modification" on the 1.5 million Palestinians in the coastal strip by reducing the territory's fuel supplies.

"We understand the distress that is caused in Israel by the high price of Qassams," Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's commissioner for external relations, said after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem.

But she told Reuters the new sanctions "will have very grave consequences for the Qassam industry" and serve to bolster OQEC and other projectile cartels. "There should never be unilateral price modification," she added.

Gideon Levy had an Op-Ed yesterday in Ha'aretz designed, I suppose, to expose the war-like nature of the Zionist entity. The title is "The importance of a failed summit" and the Annapolis summit's usefulness, according to Levy, consists of demonstrating "who aspires toward peace and, more important, who flees from it as if from fire." He does not so much argue his case as argue by decree. "The terror card cannot be played again," he decrees, "because the terror has abated." How's that?

Qassams landing on Sderot and a childish assassination attempt are not a reason to evade the peace process. This low level of terror will, unfortunately, continue to accompany Israeli-Palestinian relations for years to come. We must learn to live with it, and above all recognize that it will not stop in the absence of an agreement that will put an end to the occupation.

Or in the presence of one either? Isn't that what he meant by "years to come"? We also learn in this editorial that "Israel can no longer continue to mouth slogans about security" and that "another excuse that no longer washes is the 'no partner' one." Read the rest for the non-arguments he offers in support of these points, if you have the stomach for it. He concludes:

All the cards will be shown at Annapolis, and that is no small thing. The world will see and judge, Israelis will see and decide: Do we genuinely want peace?

I guess we now know who "flees from" peace. Does that mean the Palestinian side is the one that "aspires towards Peace"? Don't even "childish" assassination attempts contradict claims to peaceful aspirations? The appearance of this in the "Israeli New York Times" means that somebody was expected to take it seriously. That's pretty frightening.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The replacement of Ali Larijani with Saeed Jalili to head Iran’s Supreme National ‎Security Council is a clear example of the supremacy of the "neocons" in the Iranian ‎regime.‎

During his reign as the deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and America, Jalili did ‎nothing other than repeat President Ahmadinejad’s positions. For example, just like the ‎President, he has stressed that Iran’s nuclear project is "not negotiable on any argument" ‎‎(IRNA news agency, September 8, 2007). He also believes that "Iran’s nuclear issue is ‎not complicated at all", and that the most important goal of the government is "not to be ‎terrified" (Fars news agency, March 7, 2007). But most importantly, like the President, ‎Jalili believes that the government has the responsibility to rectify the world. Jalili was ‎one of the three individuals on the presidential committee that was responsible for the ‎preparation of presidential letters to world leaders (Mehr news agency, June 7, 2006). He ‎was even the special presidential chief of mission that went to Cuba on the strange ‎mission of "inviting Fidel Castro to Islam" (Farda newspaper, November 23, 2005). And ‎in Tehran, he even attempted to impress upon the Communist children of Ernesto Che ‎Guevara through the "teachings of the prophets", and assured the revolutionaries of Latin ‎America that the "example and model of the Islamic revolution could be replicated any ‎where in the world and we are prepared to put our experience at the disposal of the ‎world" (Fars news agency, September 23, 2007). [...]

A good article in Commentary about why the New York Philharmonic should not travel to North Korea reveals the following fun Juche facts:

Kim Jong Il, according to his official biography, has written 1,500 books and six operas, "all of which are better than any in the history of music." In 2001, the University Press of the Pacific published Kim Jong Il’s Art of Opera, which contains such gems as: "An opera singer must sing well. A stage actor’s main task is to speak well and act well. While an opera singer’s main task is to sing well." We are also informed that an "orchestra must accompany songs skillfully." These gross banalities are natural from a philistine who requires that all music in his country be in praise of himself and Communism.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved on Thursday a list of civilian sanctions against the Gaza Strip as a means to combat the ongoing Kassam rocket barrages that have been fired at southern Israel since the disengagement from Gaza in August 2005.

The decision was made during a special meeting of security officials in which he discussed the matter with senior military personnel, and it marks the first time Israel has scaled back vital supplies to Gaza since the cabinet defined Gaza as a "hostile entity" last month.

Under the plan, Israel will cut electricity for increasing lengths of time each time a Palestinian rocket is fired into Israel. Officials would not say when Israel plans to begin the cutoffs . . .

Defense officials said the cuts in gasoline supply would be enough to "slightly disrupt" Palestinians' daily lives and cause them to think twice before driving their car.

During Tuesday's meeting, Vilna'i decided to allow the continued supply of diesel fuel, which is used by ambulances and sanitation vehicles.

"We do not want to cause a humanitarian crisis," a defense official said. "But we do want to send a clear message to the Palestinians that the rocket fire will not be tolerated."

Kassams kill people. The proper response to deadly force is not to "slightly disrupt" "daily lives." One of the reasons that Israel's half-hearted actions are construed as mere oppression is that they do, in fact, lack credibility as self-defense.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Guardian puts a leftist spin on this story: Axis of Evil countries are merely places where you cannot get McWhatever:

Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Cuba - these are the countries that in recent history the US government has considered to be "rogue states"; outposts of tyranny and all-round enemies of democracy and wholesomeness. But what does their food taste like? What does your average despot have for his tea? And what do their oppressed citizens enjoy for breakfast? These are, after all, places where citizens are denied the basic human right to buy a Chicken McNugget; where burgers are outlawed on pain of death. How can humans survive such deprivation? What downright un-American things are they forced to eat? The new Axis of Evil Cookbook has some of the answers . . .

Sample recipes follow. The whole idea, I suppose, is some sort of lame illustration that Iranians are people-just-like-us, as if someone out there thinks that Iran (or any of these countries) doesn't have a worthwhile national cuisine. Judging from the article, the author, Gil Partington, did not have the guts to really follow through on the implied reason we would discuss North Korea and Cuba in the same cookbook. What do enemies of the state sentenced to 20 years of hard labor eat? What are some famine favorites? If a Revolutionary Guidance Committee has beaten you up and your teeth are now wired together, what would be some tasty liquid items? Somehow I don't think the book offers those answers.

Kaneko Sangyo Co. said Oct. 23 it has developed a portable toilet for use inside a car that totally conceals the user with a curtain. The new ''Kurumarukun'' toilet is the first ever model of its kind small enough to fit inside a car, the Aichi Prefecture-based manufacturer of plastic car accessories said.

Can you use it while driving? Or do you have to pull over? Follow the link for a picture of the thing.

A Zeppelin NT, the world's largest airship, flies past the Roppongi Hills building in Tokyo on Oct. 23. JTB Corp. said the same day it will offer cruises over Tokyo aboard a Zeppelin NT between Nov. 23 and Jan. 5.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Israel Matzav has flagged an article from Fars News that accuses the US and Israel of trying to create ethnic-specific weapons:

An Iranian official here on Monday said that the Untied States, assisted by Israel, is seeking to create a genetic and molecular bank to manufacture new types of unconventional weapons.

Addressing an international seminar on 'The Consequences of the Use of Chemical Weapons against Iran', Head of the Foundation for the Protection of the Values of the Sacred Defense General Mir Feysal Bagherzadeh said that the US, in collaboration with the Zionist regime of Israel, is forming a bank of the molecules and genes of the different world nations and peoples in pursuit of its hostile goals.

"This is not done in pursuit of humanitarian goals, rather they are seeking to manufacture a weapon which could kill specific peoples in a limited geographical area," he stressed.

The General further pointed out that the move should be considered as a case of genocide, "because they intend to massacre specific peoples and ethnicities" with the help of this weapon.

He said a number of US experts are running activities and researches in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the same line.

The official also stated that during the recent crash of a Thai plane, the US and Israeli experts were looking for the corpses of Iranian nationals in a bid to provide for their needed genes.

"The US and Israel are seeking to manufacture a new generation of weapons in an effort to immunize themselves and annihilate other nations and peoples," he reiterated.

It is worth noting that this is not a new charge on the crackpot circuit. Israel even bothered to deny these charges in 1998. Iran's nuttiness is meant to resonate, unfortunately, with a substantial element of the "Muslim Street." And it probably does.

Toshiba Corp., Japan's biggest maker of nuclear power plants, will start talks this month with a U.S. regulator to approve a micro reactor targeted at remote areas such as Galena on Alaska's Yukon River.

The company will hold the first meeting on Oct. 23 to brief the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on safety and other features of the new 4S reactor, seeking design certification, the U.S. regulator said on its Web site. The license is required to sell and build the plant in the U.S.

The reactor, with a fraction the capacity of typical U.S. units, is aimed at rural areas and remote islands that mostly rely on oil-fired power because of their distance from national grids. Toshiba's 4S would be sited near communities now facing record-high costs for power generated from oil. Galena, with 700 residents, is considering the new reactor, an official said.

``We are very pleased that Toshiba is now working on a schedule with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,'' Marvin Yoder, Galena's consultant on the nuclear project and ex-mayor, said in an e-mail. ``The Toshiba plant holds promise for rural areas of Alaska and other remote areas around the world.''

The process between Toshiba and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ``is expected to last many months'' because the reactor is ``very different from the designs the NRC currently regulates,'' commissioner Peter Lyons said in an e-mailed reply to questions . . .

The world's existing 441 nuclear power plants are mostly in developed countries such as the U.S., the biggest market with 104 units in operation. Developing countries such as China and India are expanding their capacity. Surging crude oil and coal costs have prompted countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia to consider the atomic energy as an alternative . . .

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Another nugget from that veritable blog-goldmine, the Dissident Voice:

Presumably, the term “homeland” was chosen to make us feel safe. But to those with even a glancing knowledge of the past, it’s a sick joke. Its uses the terminology of our two most formidable foes from last century: the Nazis, who called Germany the fatherland, and Russia — the motherland.

Besides, a homeland is a region from whose loins sprung the ethnic group inhabiting it. The US, a melting pot, is the exact opposite. “Is that guy an Arab?” we wonder as we pass someone on the street. “Or a Hispanic?”

The idea of "home" is ethnic groups springing out of loins? If you say so . . .

To boldly litigate where no lawyer has gone before. From the Daily Telegraph:

Scientists have made a breakthrough in man's desire to control the forces of nature – unveiling plans to weaken hurricanes and steer them off course, to prevent tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina.

The damage done to New Orleans in 2005 has spurred two rival teams of climate experts, in America and Israel, to redouble their efforts to enable people to play God with the weather.

Under one scheme, aircraft would drop soot into the near-freezing cloud at the top of a hurricane, causing it to warm up and so reduce wind speeds. Computer simulations of the forces at work in the most violent storms have shown that even small changes can affect their paths – enabling them to be diverted from major cities.

But the hurricane modifiers are fighting more than the weather. Lawyers warn that diverting a hurricane from one city to save life and property could result in multi-billion dollar lawsuits from towns that bear the brunt instead . . .

He emphasized that Iran is capable of maintaining its fire power, in case of any invasion.

The commander of the missile force of the IRGC revealed Iran is one of the few countries with the capability of destroying the enemy's mobile targets as it possesses smart munitions and the equipments to pinpoint the enemy's targets.

"Now the enemies should ask themselves how many forces they would be ready to sacrifice to pay the price of their folly,” Chaharbaghi added.

"If a war breaks out in the future, it will not last long because we will rub their (the enemies') noses in the dirt," he concluded.

The top IRGC commander said Iranian troops receive training on symmetric and asymmetric warfare in a bid to be prepared for different kinds of confrontations.

He also hinted that the enemy would not be able to locate IRGC artillery and missile units, as they are deployed all around the country.

General Chaharbaghi also added that the Iranian-made rockets' accuracy and range are unique in the world. [...]

In the Al-Manar version of this story, the 11,000 missiles would be fired. not just "within the first minutes," but "in the first minute":

"In the first minute of an invasion by the enemy, 11,000 rockets and cannons would be fired at enemy bases," said a brigadier general in the elite Revolutionary Guards, Mahmoud Chaharbaghi.

"This volume and speed of firing would continue," added Chaharbaghi, who is commander of artillery and missiles of the Guards' ground forces, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Syria, also, has been boasting about its missiles. Syrian MP Muhammad Habash announced recently on Iranian TV (h/t: Solomonia):

I want the world – and in particular, the Israelis – to know that the Dimona nuclear reactor itself is within the range of the weapons of the resistance and of Syria

Even allowing for some hyperbole and bluster in Iranian and Syrian military boasting, and without also going into the use of missiles by aspiring failed states such as Hamastan and Hizbullahstan, surely it is reasonable to conclude that efforts to develop anti-missile systems should be supported.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The following occurs in an otherwise ordinary rant by HuffPo blogger Bob Cesca:

Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon, and if they ever developed one, they'd be smart enough to know (despite how we caricaturize Ahmadinejad) that using it would invite their own destruction a thousand times over. Thus, there is no Iranian nuclear threat.

Interesting reasoning there. You would think that nobody ever considered the subject of Iran and nuclear deterrence. Ayatollah Rafsanjani (and this is probably not the first place you've ever read this) stated in 2001:

If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of an atomic bomb would not leave any thing in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world.

Notice it says that the "Muslim world" would suffer "damages." What would be left of Iran in particular? A notion of the unimportance of Iran itself was actually articulated by Ayatollah Khomeini. Norman Podhoretz quotes him thus:

We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah. For patriotism is another name for paganism. I say let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world.

Is this just bravado? The only way to know for sure is to let Iran get a nuclear weapon. And add to that the danger of a terrorist group getting one, either from Iran or as the result of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Courtesy of business opportunity, I take liberty anchored on strong desire to solicit for your assistance on this mutual beneficiary and risk free transaction with you, which I hope you give urgent attention.

I am the son of Fred McBoeing, a very successful defense-industry CEO. I recently discovered that my deceased father's company possesses an abandoned warehouse of very high-quality ICBM's. We have been unable to determine what country sought to purchase these ICBM's. The defense law and procedures herein stipulates that any warehouses abandoned or dormant for a period of some years are subject to be closed and all abandoned weapons contained therein will be forfeited to the government weapons stocks.

I therefore seek your assistance to allow the remittance of these weapons to be made to your terrorist group's warehouse. We have agreed that 30% of the total weapons will be given to you and 70% will be for me and my colleagues after the successful transference of the weapons to your warehouse.

To enable these weapons to be successfully transferred to your stockpile, you will also have to provide the following information:

1. The location of all your weapons storage facilities.

2. The locations of all your rocket launchers.

3. The locations of all your command bunkers.

More information about the remittance of the weapons to your warehouse will be sent to you when I receive your response (care of this weblog). We also wish to discuss military strategy with you. We have the plan of investing part of our fund in military installations with your assistance in your country. Please treat this information as confidential.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The second paragraph has been cracking me up since Tuesday morning. It just won't stop being hilarious:

Here we go again: Monday. We get this one under our belt, everything else is cake. Better cake than pot pie, anyway, especially since we are in the throes of a Bungled Pot Pie Recall. I love the way these recalls strip the mask off the store-branded fiction. It turns out one or two companies make everything. The press release reads like a roll-call of grocery stores and private-label brands:

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday night.

"The real power of a country depends on the dignity and internal power of that nation and the history is a lesson in this regard," Leader told Putin who was in Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit.

The Leader said the Iranian nation have a "good and clear image of the Russian people and this is because of the resistances that the Russian nation have shown toward the enemies in different times," the Leader noted.

For his part, the Russian president said he was happy for visiting Tehran.

"The Tehran-Moscow ties will expand without any limitation and we hope that this visit will open a new chapter in the two countries’ relations," Putin stated.

Referring to his talks with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on energy, transportation, and aerospace cooperation between the two countries, the Russian leader added, "The interest of Russian nation lies in a powerful and influential Iran in international scene and we have no doubt we will move in this direction."[...]

[...] The Islamic Revolution Leader told Putin that the authentic source of power for any country lies in the intrinsic strength of its nation, adding that the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic have opted for perseverance in defending its national interests because it is confident the enemy transgression will never be quenched.

"On the same ground, the Iranian nation and government will keep the aware and powerful logic and at the same time will avoid adventurism or leaving any excuse to the enemy," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The IR Leader then praised the Russian nation for their persevering mood in many historical occasions.

"We have a bright and fine image from the Russian nation in our mind which originates from the prudent resistance it has shown in different junctures," Ayatollah Khamenei appreciated.

Ayatollah Khamenei then proscribed US transgressive and excuse-seeking mood. "Americans keep dissent towards any country or government which stands up to their illegitimate interests or acts independent from the country. However, the nations could not be put down by such transgressions," Ayatollah Khamenei observed.

The IR Leader recalled the incessant US intimidation over the years after the Islamic Revolution was triumphed in Iran, noting however that the country has always harvested an otherwise reverse outcome.[...]

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

For some reason many people labor under the misconception that Hamas is a non-democratic movement. The following two paragraphs are excerpted from an essay that seizes upon this unfortunate error, fires Qassam rockets at it, and hurls it off the roof:

[...] Hamas have their own Islamic strategic objectives, but they promote these by democratic and civil means. They have always maintained that the Palestinian people are the ones who have the final say on these issues by means of democratic elections. Dr Salah Bardawil leader of Hamas in southern Gaza said on this issue in the Arabic language Ashasrq al-Awsat on 30th January 2006: " . . . Hamas has absolutely never and is absolutely not thinking of the enactment of any laws that impose Islamic teachings and force it upon society." He said religious teachings are followed when they are accepted by the people "not when they are imposed by terrorizing and frightening". He explained that the Palestinian people know of the lenient approach of Hamas which has resulted in the movement winning more Christian votes than some of the other secular movements and considered the accusations that Hamas were planning religious coercion to be "a wide propaganda campaign that national, international and Israeli sides are engaged in, in order to disfigure the movements image."

Hamas’ commitment to democracy is nothing new. Ever since its inception Hamas has expressed its commitment to the democratic will of the people no matter what their decision. The paraplegic leader of Hamas, Sheikh Yassin who was killed by an Israeli air strike in March 2004 stated back in 1989 in the Arabic language daily Al-Nahar: "I want a multiparty democratic state, and I want whomever wins those elections to assume power." When asked by the interviewer if this would still be the case if the Communist Party were to win the elections Sheikh Yassin replied "I would respect the wishes of the Palestinian people even if the Communist Party won."[...]

Monday, October 15, 2007

The idea of the extremely repetitive style seems to be that the reader can black out from hunger several times while reading the article and still not miss anything. From (North) Korea News:

Kim Jong Il's proposition that "The present era is an era of independence in which the popular masses have emerged as the master of their destiny and the master dominating the world" defines the characteristics of the present era as an era of independence in which the popular masses have made their appearance as the master of their destiny and the master dominating the world. It is of great theoretical and practical significance in the accomplishment of the global cause of independence.

The theoretical part is highlighted in orange while the practical part is highlighted in green.

Rodong Sinmun says this in an article Monday, which reads in part:

This definition by Kim Jong Il is the most correct classic one based on a comprehensive analysis of the present world situation fundamentally different from the past period with the Juche-based viewpoint and stand.

The sophism of the imperialists who described the abnormal development in the form of the collapse of socialism in some countries in the late 1980s and the early 1990s of the last century as "bankruptcy of the cause of independence" and "end of socialism" was an anachronistic hokum of fools to deny hard historical reality and the law governing the development of humankind.

The present era is an era in which the idea of independence is winning and its main trend is characterized by Songun.

The popular masses are firmly standing in the center of the development of the history in the present era. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are advancing along the road of independence and Songun and they are playing an ever greater role in shaping the destiny of humankind and the future of the world. This is the essential features of the present era, which distinguishes it from the last era.

The population of North Korea is about 23 million. Who are all those "hundreds of millions" "advancing along the road of independence and Songun"?

Nothing can block the trend of the historical development of the present era toward independence and Songun.

It is imperishable feats of Kim Jong Il for the global cause of independence that he gave a scientific analysis and assessment of the characteristics of the present era and has vigorously spurred on the development of human history.

I.e., uttering the bit about the popular masses emerging etc. was an "imperishable feats." Bet you didn't realize why "human history" was going so swimmingly!

The blog-reactions to Anne Coulter's remarks about "perfected Jews" continue to accumulate. I am struck by the limited a sense of possibilities involved in framing the issue as a question of whether or not to be offended. Offense says, "Oh Anne, how could you? How could you betray the grand inclusive multicultural future we all yearn for?"

Are we all really that wimpy? I mean, what she said does not distinguish her from thousands, if not millions of Xians. Do a Google search for "completed Jew" and you will get a blizzard of links to the various faux-Jewish front-groups for the Southern Baptist Convention and the First United Pentecostal Church: J's for J and such. Moreover, the interviewer seemed to steer the discussion in that direction.

Nevertheless, we're true-blooded Jews and the gauntlet has been thrown down. Her remark does indeed call for some sort of negative response, albeit one that demonstrates a sense of the many available shades on the pallet of scorn, derision, and defiance.

Our response should not be offense exactly, but something more defiant, something like the following:

"We'll show you what people will believe in the perfected world, you anorexic tart!"

Or perhaps something more lofty and derisive:

"Get your vile getchke out of our heilige punim, you skeletal twit!"

Or perhaps something more smugly dismissive:

"Run along now--don't you have some pieces of wood and stone to bow down to?"

Perhaps the best response of all would be to sing a few verses of the following official anthem of replacement-theology-rejection:

Supercession-ism, Jewboys got it wrongYou all lived in error, til we came alongBrand new dispensation, abrogatin' lawsHangin' out in Salt Lake, havin' lots of squawsWhen you think that one Testament isn't enoughAnd you're goofySupercession ain't the way

Supercession-ism, the "True Israel"Supercession-ism, Akeidas YishamelStandin' in a bow-tie, read the Final CallTransubstantiation, the Al-Buraq WallWhen you think that your book is more new and improvedThan the TorahSupercession ain't the way, yeh, yeh

Supercession-ism, cartoons in the Post,Supercession-ism, embassies are toastFemale circumcision, goin' on the HajjRunnin' from the stampede, tryin' hard to dodgeWhen you think that those Jewboys have got it all wrongAnd you riot,Supercession ain't the way, no, no, no

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Barbers in Darra Adam Khel have followed the example of their counterparts in Bajaur by ceasing the service of shaving men’s beards, two days after an explosion at a barber’s shop near the main Darra bazaar, tribal sources said on Monday.

Barber Fazle Rahim told Daily Times: "An (Islamic) organisation ordered the ban on men’s shaving and we are following the order."

Darra is the second tribal town after Bajaur where barbers have agreed to comply with a demand from whom locals refer to as Taliban, for a ban on shaving.

"If we don’t comply with their order they bomb our places. We have no other way out except to accept their demand," Rahim said.

Barbers are the latest group to be targeted by militants, who earlier targeted video and music shops and businessmen dealing in prize bond.

Meanwhile, female students of Shaheen Public School and College were warned against wearing “fashionable” burqas.

A teacher of the private school told Daily Times that militants delivered a letter directing that female students wear the full “shuttle cock” burqa, failing which there would be "serious trouble".

Meanwhile, people who had received death threats have been pasting notes on the wall of a mosque in Darra bazaar asking militants to “pardon” them, eyewitnesses said. "They come to Jamia Mosque in Dara where they paste the notes saying we seek forgiveness for our action that the Taliban did not like," an eyewitness said.

Among those who pasted the notes were tribal policemen and a journalist who the Taliban declared "liable to be killed" for "spying" on the mujahideen. "Since we don’t know who these people are and also don’t know how to seek forgiveness, we found this novel way to send our message to the people who matter," said one cop who just returned from pasting his note on the mosque wall.

The actual title of this article from Fars News is "Palestinian Leader Calls on Muslims to Defend Iran as a Religious Duty." Feel the love:

Head of the Muslim Scholars' International Union Sheikh Yusef Gharzawi said that defending Iran against enemies is a religious duty for all world Muslims.

"In case Iran comes under attack, it will be a religious duty for all Muslims to defend this country," Gharzawi said in his message to the world Muslims to congratulate the advent of the Eid-al-Fitr - marking the end of Muslims' fasting month of Ramadan.

"It is a duty of the Islamic Ummah (nation) to take each other's hands to protect themselves. We should defend Iran which is a part of the world of Islam and assist this country in confronting the enemy," he added.

Elsewhere, Gharzawi underlined that the US strives to annihilate the religion of Islam under the pretext of the campaign against terrorism while it is siding with the Zionist regime of Israel and supports all its terrorist measures.

"If the US did not extend military and financial aids to the Zionist regime, no Israeli would exist today," he said.

He further questioned West's efforts to deprive Iran or any other Muslim or Arab country of the right to access and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and voiced support for Iran's progress in the field of civilian nuclear technology.

Did you notice that the paragraph about nukes followed immediately after the one about Israeli nonexistence? It's a recurring pattern.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

According to a brief article in Wikipedia, Cuba does not allow the construction of mosques. However, they know a good anti-Imperialist cause when they see one. From the Cuban News Agency:

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Cuban Foreign Affairs Ministry, members of the Palestinian embassy in Havana including Charge d' Affaires Majad Abu Al Hawa, members of the Cuban Islamic League, personalities of different sectors of Cuban society, guests and members of the Iranian embassy in Cuba.

In conversation with the Cuban News Agency, ambassador Mostafa Alaei said the issue of Palestine has two aspects. The Islamic aspect of the issue is related to the first holy mosque of Muslims, "which is nowadays under occupation by the Israeli forces." That was the reason for the creation in Iran, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution of the Day of Qods, an annual event opposing Israel's control of Jerusalem, where Qods means sacred in Arabic.

The observance of the Day of Qods was suggested in August that same year by Sayyid Imam Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, as he said, "I invite Muslims all over the globe to consecrate the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as Day of Al-Quds and to proclaim the international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legitimate rights of the Muslim people of Palestine..."

The international aspect of the Palestinian issue, explained the ambassador, is that the UN declarations on human rights clearly and evidently stipulate that occupation and colonialism constitute a violation of human rights, as well as the killing of people, the forcibly displacement of people out of their lands. "So it is clear that the Israeli forces have carried out these violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people.", said the Iranian diplomat.

He said that the UN general assembly has repeatedly condemned the Israeli forces and government of these violations of human rights and even the security council has issued three resolutions asking the Israeli forces to withdraw from Arab and Palestinian lands.

Meanwhile the Arab people expect that the struggle for justice around the world finally makes its contribution to put an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. "The Iranian government is doing much to help in many ways including having appointed the last Friday in the month of Ramadam the Day of Qods as another step forward in that effort." said Mostafa Alaei.

During the ceremony, which was held in the Melia Habana Hotel, in the outskirts of the Cuban capital, Charge d' Affaires at the Havana-based Palestinian embassy Majad Abu Al Hawa expressed his gratefulness to all those who have backed the struggle of the Palestinian people. He thanked the government of Iran and the Cuban Revolution for their permanent support in all international forums towards his people's cause.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Cuban Islamic League also voiced their convictions that the Palestinian people will succeed in their struggle against the aggression perpetrated by Israel. They also highlighted the Cuban people solidarity with Palestine and recalled that the Cuban government and President Fidel Castro have always expressed their full and unconditional support of the cause of the Palestinians.

The meeting concluded with an evening meal that allowed for exchange among all participants, who in their opinion made another action towards unity in favor of the people of Palestine.

I know this Independent article doesn't exactly say that, but you have to look at the root causes of obesity. Today I had the kind of potato kugel that is so heavy and oily that it falls apart if you try to pick up a piece with your fork. You have to push it off the edge of the serving plate so that it drops onto your plate. That's assuming you don't take kugel with your hands.

Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health, warned yesterday that Britain's obesity crisis is as serious as climate change and will demand a review into whether the current ban on junk food advertising to children is tough enough.

The call for fresh restrictions on TV ads for junk food comes as new government research reveals this week that half of all adults could be clinically obese by 2050.

Mr Johnson is believed to want a review into whether a ban on junk food advertising should be extended to slots between popular adult programmes such as The X Factor, which are also watched by millions of under-16s. The current ban covers only children's programming and programmes watched by a greater than average number of children.

The use of cartoon characters to promote foods high in sugar, salt and fat is also expected to be scrutinised. And it is believed that the growing trend of food manufacturers sponsoring programmes will also be examined.

A government source said: "The Health Secretary's personal view is that it is all well and good having a ban if the children are over 40 per cent of the audience, but there is an issue around programmes like The X Factor where the proportion of children is small but the number is quite large. What Alan wants is to talk to parents about the best way to tighten up advertising."

Mr Johnson is also expected to order Britain's food standards watchdog to conduct an urgent review into whether trans-fats should be banned amid evidence that they raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.

The proposals come as new research this week from experts led by Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, warns that the health service and public transport will find it hard to cope with the sharp rise in obese children and adults.

His report is expected to warn that unless urgent preventative steps are taken, half of all UK adults will be obese by 2050. The increase would leave hospitals and doctors' surgeries hard-pressed to cope with an expected rise in heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and could stretch health budgets close to breaking point.

The report is expected to recommend a focus on prevention and planning, including more open spaces, cycle lanes and walking routes in cities to encourage people to exercise.

Mr Johnson warned: "We cannot afford not to act. For the first time we are clear about the magnitude of the problem. We are facing a potential crisis on the scale of climate change and it is in everybody's interest to turn things round. We will succeed only if the problem is recognised, owned and addressed at every level in every part of society."

If really fat people go swimming in the ocean, we could see the same rising sea-levels. Fat polar bears can fall through the ice, even if it isn't so thin. Do you put oil in your cholent? Tell the truth.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Chief Rabbi of the Orthodox Jewish Community in Austria, Moishe Arye Friedman, believes that the "Zionist regime is using the Holocaust concept as a tool and weapon to silence people."

In an interview with the Mehr News Agency here on Saturday, October 6, Friedman said "the root of the world’s problems is the existence of the Zionist regime."

The chief rabbi was in Iran on an invitation from the Islamic Republic.

Following is an excerpt of the interview:

Q: Would you please explain about your community’s activities?

A: We are in a religious community, and our activities are actually concentrated mainly and truly on exercising the religion only, by being the followers of Prophet Moses. We are actually forbidden from having any activities of political nature. But also similar to the Islamic Republic of Iran, our activities are for human rights, for world peace, resulting from a religious perspective.

Q: Don’t you think that Israel’s behavior in the Middles East, especially its treatment of the Muslims in the occupied territories, would pose threats to Jews in other countries?

A: When we talk about Israel, the catastrophe of Zionism is not only in their state, it is the regime. The Zionist regime is not concentrated only on the so called Israel, the Zionist regime is actually in the most of the world. To march to Jerusalem, we mean of course to physically be in Jerusalem, we have to wipe off the Zionist regime.

The Zionist regime includes the governments all over the world with Zionist Jewish communities. When we say Jewish people we mean Jewish people following Moses which we have around the world. Of course it is very important to distinguish between Jewish people and those Zionist people.

The behavior of some of the countries is very irresponsible. For them there is no difference between the Jews and the Zionists, and this can lead to danger. It is different in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is going to the root of the problem, to find how it was possible at all that such a regime came about. They went for example to engage with the issue of Holocaust, to have the world free from the Holocaust concept propaganda which is used as a tool for committing crimes against humanity.

There is a lot which has been done by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and especially recently, I think it was in a responsible way. Unfortunately we have to condemn those Arab regimes who are tolerating Israel. And it seems they are not dealing in a responsible way, and are even trying to misinform the public that Zionism is actually representing the Jewish people, in order to protect their interests and to keep their regime, and their population is silent.

Q: What about an abuse of Judaism by Zionists?

A: Zionism is all about to humiliate the faith in God. Not only the Jewish religion, but faith in God in all religions, mainly Islam. They also have a great interest in driving the Christians, the Catholic church, away from their traditional religions.

They are uprooting the religion, trying to reduce historical elements, and at the same time, when there are critics or people who are able to independently research such a theme, they will try everything to arrest them, to harm them, eliminate them, and that is their nature. For that purpose they have always used the Holocaust concept as their tool and weapon to silence people.

Jerusalem should be wiped off from the Zionists.

Q: What does your community do to counter Israel or Zionism?

A: I think in the circumstances in which I came here with my family to Tehran could in practical terms state an example of the activities we make against Zionism, condemning the crimes against humanity.

But we have to deal with the problem by going to the root of the problem. The root of the problem is that the world is actually confronted with the Holocaust based on lies. We will have to get rid of the Holocaust lies of the Zionist regime, there is no question about this. All the media is silent about all the crimes committed by the Zionist regime by using the Holocaust concept.

Q: What’s your idea about Ahmadinejad’s suggestion that the West should allocate a land to the Zionists so that they can establish their own country there?

A: The first thing which has to happen is the immediate and unconditional return of the entire Palestinian refugees to their own land. When I say unconditional, I mean without having the precondition that they have to recognize the Zionist regime. The Palestinians have to receive their rights without recognizing the Zionist regime. By recognizing the Zionist regime we are having contradiction with the Palestinians’ rights and the rights of the Islamic world. We have to discuss not about the people who lived in Palestine, but those who came from Poland, from Russia, and other places. By using the Holocaust concepts they came to the holy land to eliminate others. At the first step, they should return to where they came from. I do not understand really the logic or the position of the Europeans or the Americans for opposing the approach and initiative of President Ahmadinejad, suggesting that the Zionists should return to Europe or to U.S. because after all, the Europeans are sacrificing their whole economy for those Jews, for the colleagues and associates of those Israelis who are now in Palestine. They are even sacrificing their own national security. They are not willing to implement law and order against Jews in their own state. So what is the problem for Jews to come there? There is no problem.

As a consequence of the Second World War, in a very unjustified way, at least a third of Poland nowadays and at least 34 percent of the Zech Republic for example is simply a German territory which they robbed off unjustified, and they are not doing anything about that. So there is no problem with giving the Zionist Jews some territories.

Q: What do you think about President Ahmadinejad’s speech at Columbia University, about Holocaust?

A: The issues which President Ahmadinejad stated and the issues that Iran’s leaders, Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei, have mentioned, those issues were known before, but we are living in a world that is shut by the horrific Zionist media domination. In fact he managed to break those taboos. He had his mission there. Now the world is starting to realize that the Zionist regime is not only concentrated in the holy land. The root of the problems is actually the Zionist regime elsewhere. The Zionist Jewish community is extremely violent, they are even poisoning the American society. The Zionist regime is leading them. Even they have their own police in New York. A few thousand Jews in New York are able to have their own police.

Q: What is your opinion about Iran, and about the U.S. propaganda calling Iran a terrorist state?

A: I think it is the best thing and you should be proud that the Zionist media, inside the United States, are against you. The more they are trying to attack you, the more is because you are at a better position. Do not be afraid of people who speak openly of attacks, you should rather be afraid of those who speak nice to you. No one in the world had expected the Islamic Republic to make such achievements. The Iranian people are far too clever to fall into such propaganda, and I think they are clever enough to realize that this propaganda is the exact reason to stand firmly, and they do not expect to receive cheers from the evil.

I think the Islamic Republic is the nation chosen by God for justice and peace.

A cooperation between clerics of divine religions can neutralize the poisonous atmosphere created by the Zionist media, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said in Qom on Wednesday.

The Zionist media are trying to present a distorted image of Islam to Christians and a distorted image of Christianity to Muslims, Ayatollah Shirazi told reporters after a meeting with Pastor John Keen from a Washington church.

The MPAC-UK site is one of our more diabolical projects for making Muslims look bad.

"Clerics of divine religions should interact and meet with each other and push the world toward peace and security through joint thinking," he stated.

He added meetings between clerics and politicians at global level can help establish peace globally.

An anti-semitic message that included a swastika was found etched into the wall of a bathroom at Columbia University on Thursday, just two days after a noose was discovered hanging from the door of a professor at Teachers College.

In a message to the Columbia community, President Lee Bollinger said he was saddend by the second incident of hate in a week.

"One of the bathrooms in Lewisohn Hall -was sullied with an anti-Semitic smear," said Bollinger's note. "It has been promptly removed and is now being investigated." [...]

Monday, October 08, 2007

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that the Columbia University incident was a scenario carefully designed to tarnish the image of the Iranian nation.

President Ahmadinejad made the remarks while addressing presidents of universities, teaching staff and students during a ceremony at Tehran University to kick off the new academic year.

The Columbia scenario was following certain objectives the most important of which was to quell the voice of the Iranian nation.

He reiterated that the material world and in fact materialism have reached their end.

What would be the point of materialism without a material world?

President Ahmadinejad addressed the Columbia University on September 24, during his stay in New York to attend the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The president stressed that the so-called democracy and human rights seekers have no strategy for settling problems of today's world including Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon.

As you may have read, Ahmadinejad was evidently also heckled at Tehran University by students chanting "Death to the dictator." One banner read "Why only in Columbia? We have questions too!" Materialists I guess.

As frame of reference, Ayatollah Khamenei made mention of the recommendations of the Master of the Faithful, Hazrat Ali (greeting to him) to his son, Imam Hassan (greeting to him).

"The honorable Imam viewed wisdom as the singlemost source of self-sufficiency for human being whereas diversion from wisdom as biggest deficiency. He urged avoiding self-assertion or making friendship with the ignorant, the misers, the sinful or the liars," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Islamic Revolution Leader quoted Imam Ali's recommendations regarding social morality, adding however that noble moral traits are more than just developing positive relationship with others but also serve such acclaimed traits as patience, remission, gratitude, benevolence, fairness, compassion to subordinates, bravery, and no-deviations mood.

Savor the almost miraculously bad English!

Ayatollah Khamenei underscored the need to exercise prudence in handling national affairs, adding that the concept would have been misperceived if some authorities had given up great jobs and reduced the pace of work.

Ayatollah Khamenei considered greed, physical gratifications, anger, and self-absorption as adversaries to wisdom and alerted the authorities to be wary of those large traps.

In the same regard, Ayatollah Khamenei commended the ever-growing spiritual tendencies in society, especially in the youth, as the miracle of the Islamic Revolution and an undeniable reality.

"The inclination of the young generation to worship and humility to lord is a Divine phenomenon and a revolutionary fruit," Ayatollah Khamenei said, urging for vigorous schemes to help the next generations to take the tendency as convention.

The Islamic Revolution Leader noted that the regenerative growth was a tribute to the muted diligence of some individuals in the past.

No . . . no . . . no more . . . please stop . . .

The IR Leader assigned the relevant authorities to undertake untiring and harmonious efforts to enhance the mood in the next generations, adding that the ground was further prepared to that effect after the President Ahmadinejad Administration declared a platform of spiritual and revolutionary values.

Ayatollah Khamenei then singled out several governmental bodies for undertaking the spiritual promotion in a joint effort. They included the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the Islamic Propagation Organization, the Ministry of Science and Research and Technology, and finally the Ministry of Education.

The IR Leader then turned to the case of wisdom in politics, urging the people and authorities to beware the enemy's double-dealing.

"We need not be scared of the enemy. At the same time we must not mistake it for a pushover. The wisdom and prudence require one to guard against enemy ambushes in different economic, cultural or social contexts," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

"All bodies are responsible in this regard. However, based on the Constitution the Administration and the President per se bear the responsibility to coordinate the bodies," Ayatollah Khamenei added.

In the beginning of the meeting, President Mhamoud Ahmadinejad appreciated the Iranian nation for "their ever-solidifying moral traits which reflect wishes of other nations and presents them an example."

"Ever-solidifying moral traits"!

The President then delivered a report on the latest cultural schemes adopted by his Administration.

At the end of the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei led a congregation of dusk prayers and then the members of the Administration broke their fast alongside him.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

A numberofbloggers think this interview puts Mearsheimer in his place. Sorry guys. The interview is in the grand comedian-interviews-serious-guy tradition. The comedian is supposed to get in some good jabs (but it's all in good fun) and the serious guy is supposed to come across as genial and able to laugh at himself. Did you notice that Mearsheimer gets the last word on arms sales to Saudi Arabia? Did you notice that Mearsheimer's mealy mouthing about "supporting" Israel's "survival" but treating it like "a normal country" is followed by the trivial X-mas card joke?

Mearsheimer still gets to come across as wise and professorial, not as cool as the interviewer, but with his "serious" points and explanations essentially unchallenged. Hate to break it to you--bad day for hasbara.

Venezuela has taken another few steps down the glorious path already traversed by Zimbabwe and North Korea. There are some useful facts in this article, but the tone often seems sympathetic to Chavez. (Why am I not surprised?) The extended title is "Venezuelan film studio tries to counter Hollywood/Populist government dives headfirst into movie business."

Intent on a cultural revolution, Venezuela's fiercely nationalistic government has required radio stations to play more Venezuelan music, promoted art infused with revolutionary zeal and published books extolling the country's transformation under President Hugo Chavez.

"Cultural revolution"--where have I heard that phrase before?

Now, countering what Chavez calls American "cultural imperialism" and the Hollywood movies that pervade here, the populist government is delving headfirst into the movie business. The Bolivarian government, named after its 19th century namesake, is running a new state-of-the-art film studio here, developing scripts venerating the country's history and funding films designed to jump-start Venezuela's moribund filmmaking.

See what I mean about this article? "Jump-start Venezuela's moribund filmmaking"--that's good, right?

"For many years, we had low or no production, one or two films a year, at most," said Lorena Almarza, director of the state studios, Villa del Cine. "Then the Bolivarian government came in, and culture became a constitutional right, which didn't exist before."

Chavez loves a good film yarn, particularly if the theme is political or carries a larger social message. He's expressed his admiration, for instance, for Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River," and he's become fast friends with "Lethal Weapon" star Danny Glover. Indeed, Venezuela's National Assembly approved $17.8 million to bankroll Glover's film about the life of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture.

Oscar winners Sean Penn, who starred in "Mystic River," and Kevin Spacey have also met with Chavez in Caracas. In a visit last week, Spacey said the government-funded studios offered Venezuelan filmmakers the opportunity to "make films about their own country and their own culture."

"I think every country should have this," Spacey said on state television.

Heartwarming.

Many of the projects at Villa del Cine, or Cinema City, are decidedly political and in tune with the Chavista image of Venezuela as a cutting-edge democracy fighting U.S. imperialism. That has led to documentaries about foreign exploitation of the oil industry and state repression in the 1970s, when successive Venezuelan governments had good relations with Washington.

But Cinema City, which opened a year ago in this town east of the capital, is determined to be best known for its feature-length films, many blending politics and art.

One is about a cold and calculating Cuban exile who assassinates Venezuelan leftists and bombs a Venezuelan airliner - a movie based on the life of a CIA operative, Luis Posada Carriles, who is wanted here on terrorism charges. Posada Carriles, who lives in Miami, has declared himself innocent, and a U.S. court has declined to extradite him.

Much of the new fare is along the lines of Cinema City's first film, "Miranda Returns," which opens Oct. 12. Perhaps the studio's most ambitious project, it is about General Francisco de Miranda, who fought in the American, French and Venezuelan revolutions and dreamed of establishing a Latin American republic.

The director, Luis Alberto Lamata, used 120 actors and 1,200 extras and took his cameras as far away as Russia.

Almarza said the idea is to "rescue" Venezuela's rich history, past and present. "The president of the republic insists," she said, "and it's part of our policy of development, the historic debt that we have in this country."

Stirring.

Some observers say that's exactly the problem with Cinema City - the heavy hand of the president and his advisers, namely Culture Minister Francisco Sesto, who gives the green light to the studio's projects.

Jonathan Jakubowicz, a Venezuelan filmmaker, said Cinema City will permit young directors to make movies but only within tight parameters . . .

"They either want movies that portray the revolution as the solution of all the problems of the nation, or they want movies that tell the stories of independence leaders, always with a version that favors values that can be used to celebrate the Bolivarian Revolution," he said. "I don't think there's any chance to make movies that are not in tune with the revolution."

I guess that was for balance. Such conscientious journalists! The article closes with five paragraphs devoted to "Efterpi Charalambidis," who is "among the young directors who have benefited from Cinema City." One should always end on a positive note.

Anti-Syrian lawmaker Wael Abu Faour poured scorn on claims by Hassan Nasrallah that Israel is responsible for the spate of political assassinations in the country.

He said that such remarks by the Hezbollah leader cleared the way for another politically motivated killing, by attempting to absolve Syria of any blame for the murders.

In a televised speech broadcast Friday evening to his supporters to mark Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, Nasrallah accused Israel of killing anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon to cause strife and drag his militant movement into fighting other Lebanese communities. He said Israel has a network of agents working in Lebanon who are responsible for the assassinations.

"If Israel is indeed to blame for what is happening in Lebanon, why is the Hezbollah-led opposition working to thwart the establishment of an international court to try the killers of the former prime minister [Rafik Hariri]," Abu Faour asked.

Hariri, who was vehemently opposed to Syria's then military presence in Lebanon, was killed in a massive car-bombing in Beirut in February 2005. His murder led to the "Cedar Revolution," a civil protest named for Lebanon's flag, and the removal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after almost three decades.

Anti-Syrian groups that control the Lebanese government claim Damascus is behind a two-year killing spree that has left a number of anti-Syrian politicians and public figures dead. The latest was on September 19 when lawmaker Antoine Ghanem was killed in a Beirut car bombing a week before Parliament was to meet for the election of a new president.

Nasrallah, whose group leads the pro-Syrian opposition to Lebanon's U.S.-backed government, also warned the parliamentary majority against picking a president of their own to run the country if talks with the opposition failed, and called for polling the general population on their choice if the lawmakers fail to reach agreement.

The Hezbollah chief said that the supposed Israeli attacks against members of Lebanon's anti-Syrian parliamentary majority in the last two years were designed to drawn condemnation from that coalition against Damascus, Hezbollah's ally.

"The hand that is killing is Israel's," he told thousands of supporters who occasionally interrupted his speech with roars of approval.

"Israel has a sure interest in the assassinations, because its project is sedition... Israel wants the resistance [Hezbollah] to be dragged into internal strife and fighting to weaken and exhaust it," he said. "It [Israel] is the prime beneficiary of any internal strife in Lebanon." [...]

I was talking to my mouthpiece the other day abut the eternity of capitalist society:

The imperialists and their mouthpieces talk about the "eternity of capitalist society", describing it as "one for the welfare of all people". But this is nothing but a cynical ploy to cover up the true nature of the unpopular and corrupt capitalist society.

So says Rodong Sinmun Friday in a signed article.

With nothing can the corrupt nature inherent to the capitalist society be covered up or denied, the article says, and goes on:

The capitalist society seems prosperous outwardly, but it becomes degenerated and its people are mentally and physically handicapped. This is a true picture of the capitalist society.

The capitalist society causes deformed material life, making people corrupt and depraved. This is one of the basic features proving the corruption deep-seated in the capitalist society.

Poor mental and cultural life is another specific feature proving the deep-seated corruption of the capitalist society.

In the capitalist society the capitalists try to benumb the independent ideological consciousness of the people and reduce them to slaves of money and working tools obeying the given destiny. The capitalists spend a great amount of money in spreading reactionary ideology and corrupt bourgeois lifestyle.

The corrupt bourgeois lifestyle prevails in capitalist society today, paralyzing sound mentality of people and leaving them in ignorance and benightedness. A huge number of people captive to the bourgeois way of life have been reduced to mental and physical cripples and slaves of money.

In capitalist society, a lifestyle based on the jungle law is fostered to become a social fashion and all sorts of social vices such as immorality and corruption, fraud and swindling, and violent crimes are rampant, making people shiver in uneasiness and fear.

The capitalist society is neither a civilized nor an eternal society as claimed by those who speak for the bourgeoisie.